Swarovski Illuminates 91st Oscars® Stage With Never-Before-Seen Crystal Set Designs

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Swarovski partnered with award-winning creative director and designer David Korins, best known for his work on the Broadway hits Hamilton and Dear Evan Hanson, to add dazzling embellishment to a selection of his set designs for the 91^st Oscars®. This year's show marked Korins' first time as production designer and Swarovski's twelfth time illuminating the Oscars stage. Key features of this year's set design included the 'Crystal Cloud', a 1,600-pound cloud-shaped installation; the 'Crystal Swag', a three-story high, 54-foot-wide ribbon-like formation; and two 'Crystal Presenter Backings'.

Over 41,000 Swarovski crystals were integrated into the four designs, which took a team of 15 people over 2,100 hours to fabricate. The Crystal Cloud and Crystal Swag were both inspired by natural geography. The Crystal Cloud was a sparkling interpretation of atmospheric clouds, with over 1,250 crystal strands floating ethereally over the stage. The striking Crystal Swag, created from nearly 400 crystal strands alongside a crystalized steel structure, was designed to look like a waterfall flowing from the ground up. The Crystal Presenter Backings, which appeared on stage behind award presenters, were free-flowing creations adorned with 1,800 crystals.

Korins' vision was to create abstract and organic shapes to make the audience and stage feel as one, representing a feeling of inclusivity. His designs gained warmth and illumination from thousands of precision-cut Swarovski crystal beads, flatbacks, and pearls in gold and silver shades. These elegant designs brought the theater to life, celebrating Swarovski's longstanding connection with the Academy Awards® and the company's heritage in the entertainment industry.

Swarovski's history on the silver screen goes back to the early days of Hollywood over 85 years ago, when its crystals made their Hollywood debut in the Marlene Dietrich film Blonde Venus. It is a history sparkling with iconic moments, from Marilyn Monroe singing 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' wearing dazzling Swarovski jewels in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to Audrey Hepburn accessorizing her Little Black Dress with a chic Swarovski tiara in Breakfast at Tiffany's. In recent years Swarovski crystals have appeared in a host of exciting productions, including Bohemian Rhapsody, The Greatest Showman, Black Swan, The Great Gatsby and Disney's adaptations of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

Asset download: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ixhay731dxvrikn/AAD0LGWnlJmRFJ4y9YFQ1QKBa?dl=0 

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Swarovski
Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members and has a global reach with approximately 3,000 stores in around 170 countries, more than 27,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.7 billion euros in 2017. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2017, the Group generated revenue of about 3.5 billion euros and employed more than 32,000 people. A responsible relationship with people and the planet has always been an integral part of Swarovski's heritage, and is embedded today in the company's well-established sustainability agenda. In addition, the global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 500,000 children on the world's greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote human empowerment, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact.
www.swarovskigroup.com 

SOURCE Swarovski